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I am a big fan of chilies! When I heard that Zantac was holding a Canadian Chili Challenge I immediatly set to creating a new chili recipe. Chili, like bolognese, is one of those dishes that I just can't resist playing with and trying something new each time. When I find something that I like, it gets carried forward to the next version, etc. Since I started food blogging I have seen a lot of chili recipes and many of them call for ground beef. Although I am going to have to try a ground beef chili one of these days, I find it really hard to resist taking the chance to get a good braise on. There is just something with those chunks of beef that are so tender that they literally melt in your mouth. Another thing that I like about a nice braise is that it takes a long time so all of the flavours have a chance to come out and mingle.

Bacon is a magical ingredient that makes everything better and it certainly works well in chilies. The bacon adds a ton of flavour and you can use the bacon grease to brown the beef and saute the onions so that you don't loose any of the flavour. Although I often like to use fresh chilies in chili, in the Winter they can be hard to come by and dried chilies work just as well. I like to use a variety of chilies and I almost always include some chipotle chillies for their smoky goodness. Next up is the sticky debate about tomatoes and beans and whether they belong in a chili or not. I like chilies both with and without them and this time I decided to go with them to bulk out the chili a bit. Adding some vegetables and beans made me feel a little bit better about the bacon. ;) Once you have all of you basic ingredients you are of course going to need some liquid to do the braising in. You could use water but why not take the opportunity to add some flavour and use some beef stock or better yet some beer and/or coffee. In addition to your standard Texmex spices I like to add a bit of cinnamon and chocolate to the chili to add that hint of something exotic.

Drain the chilies and blend in a half a cup of fresh water and add to the pot. (Tip: Add the chilies a bit at a time taste testing as you go to get it to the level of heat that you desire.)

Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the beef is fork tender, about 3-5 hours, adding more liquid if required.

Add the Mexican chocolate.

Remove from heat and mix in the cilantro.

Slow Cooker: Implement steps 1-4, optionally implement steps 5&6, place everything except the cilantro in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours before adding the cilantro.

Wowo this chillie looks so so delicous. I have been wanting to make chillie for long and i too hhave only seen recipes with minced beef.I have to google what this chuck roast is i presume it is some kind of wtewing meat.

Wow wonderful and very tasty recipe - I love the idea of braising the beef. This would be a fabulous recipe since I love beans, tomatoes, chillies and those spices. Beautiful photo also, well done. Cheers from Audax in Australia.

Looks like a great chili! I judged a neighborhood chili cookoff recently - the other two judges were Claudine Pepin, Jacques daughter, and a produce from the food network, so it was really a kick for me. The winning chili was a green chili posole and to my absolute surprise, it was done with all canned Mexican products!

definately interesting, I might cook this for my girlfriends family when I'm in Tucson in a few weeks, good cheap beef and lots of chillis to put in it... Plus her brother is a big lover of beer, and her and her mother love chocolate, so I'm sure if I pull it off, it will go down a treat! :)

Could you please advise as to the tupe of beer? One beeris not a very informative description. >. < Are we talking a pale ale, a stout, an ipa, a scotch ale (which might be really good. ..hmmm). I would just hate to get a beer that's too hoppy and have the bitterness throw the whole thing off. >. < thanks!!

A few quesitons... When you say to blend the chilies with a half cup of fresh water do you mean using a food processor or simply stir together? Also, how would you convert if I would like to use a slow cooker? THANK YOU!!!

Andrea: Blend the chilies and water in a food processor or blender to puree them. This recipe would be great in the slow cooker and would do all of the steps the same except step 9 where you would transfer to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. If you want to you could skip browning the meat and vegetables before placing them in the slow cooker but this would reduce the flavour a bit.

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.